Once again, National Lacrosse League teams are chasing the Rochester Knighthawks.

The franchise won its second consecutive NLL Champions Cup and fourth title in franchise history when it beat the Washington Stealth 11-10 despite an 8-8 regular season.

The Rock’s main Eastern Division foe provides a good starting point in our preview of the eight teams Toronto will have to get past to win their first title since 2011.

EASTERN DIVISION

Rochester Knighthawks

Their success starts with goaltender Matt Vinc who has been the league’s top netminder on two occasions. Team captain Sid Smith leads a defence that led the NLL in fewest goals allowed.

Up front, Cody Jamieson comes off two 80-plus point seasons, not to mention a Mann Cup title over the summer as a member of the Six Nations Chiefs. Dawson came to the Knighthawks from Philadelphia prior to the 2013 season and racked up 75 points. Young stars Johnny Powless and Corey Vitarelli will add speed and spark as well.

Philadelphia Wings

After finishing 7-9 and exiting the playoffs early, the Wings made changes starting with general manager Johnny Mouradian giving up the coaching duties to Blane Harrison. The roster also underwent several changes, but Kevin Crowley leads the attack again after a 72-point season. Kevin Ross and newcomers Ryan Ward and Kyle Buchanan also add to the attack. Brodie Merrill, one of the best transition guys in the game heads a defence strengthened by Kyle Sweeney, Joel White and Brett Manney. Former Swarm goaltender Evan Kirk replaces Brandon Miller.

Minnesota Swarm

The Swarm were hard to figure out last year. Finishing just 7-9, they dominated the Rock in their playoff meeting before losing the semifinal to Rochester. A young team who had four first-round draft selections for the second year in a row, they are still led offensively by Callum Crawford, Shayne Jackson and Kiel Matisz. Expect Jordan McIntosh, team captain Andrew Suitor, and first-overall pick Logan Schuss to play big roles as well. Toronto-native Jeff Gilbert and former Rock Mike Hobbins lead the defence while Tyler Carlson will carry much of the load in goal.

Buffalo Bandits

Troy Cordingley, a member of the legendary Bandits teams of the 1990s as a player, takes over from Darris Kilgour as head coach. His challenge will be to improve the only team to miss the playoffs last year. The addition of Ryan Benesch will help the offence and Andrew Watt will help the transition game. They will also need better play from veterans Shawn Williams, Dhane Smith, Mark Steenhuis, goaltender Anthony Cosmo. John Tavares will be back in a limited role. The 45-year-old legend begins his 23rd season with the club.

WESTERN DIVISION

Calgary Roughnecks

The Riggers have finished first in the division the past three years, but haven’t been to the final since 2009. Offensively, they’re set with reigning league MVP Shawn Evans, who amassed 112 points, Curtis Dickson, Jeff Shattler, Dane Dobbie and Daryl Veltman.

Faceoff specialist Geoff Snider leads the transition crew. Team captain Andrew McBride heads the defensive unit and veteran Mike Poulin gives stability in goal. The club also has five NLL newcomers on their 20-man roster.

Colorado Mammoth

The Mammoth have undergone changes as well though their biggest constant, 39-year-old John Grant Jr., remains a key component of their offence. Gone are Casey Powell and Gavin Prout. Newly added Drew Westervelt and 2012 rookie of the year Adam Jones will also help. Their transition team is led by Matt MacLeod and Cam Holding. Faceoff specialist Bob Snider comes over from the Stealth to lead the defensive crew. Tye Belanger, who solidified the goaltending duties midway through last season will get the start.

Edmonton Rush

A good 9-7 season was wasted with a first-round loss to the Stealth last season. In the off-season, captain Jimmy Quinlan retired and forward Corey Small suffered a knee injury in WLA play. But they will have rookie-of-the-year Mark Matthews back along with Curtis Knight and Jarrett Davis to fuel their attack. Jeremy Thompson is one of the quickest transition players in the league. Kyle Rubisch forced a league-best 44 turnovers and collected 128 loose balls to lead the defensive crew. Add to that Aaron Bold, second in the league in goals against average last season, and the Rush will again be a handful for their opponents.

Vancouver Stealth

Making the Champions Cup was not enough to keep the Stealth in Everett, Wash. Making the trip up to their new Langley, B.C., home will be Rhys Duch, who scored 45 goals to lead the NLL last year. He will be helped up front by Lewis Ratcliff and Cliff Smith. Ilija Gajic, who comes over from the Mammoth, leads the transition while Mike Grimes and Tyler Harrison lead the defence. Tyler Richards will carry much of the goaltending load. An interesting rookie is Tyler Digby, a two-sport athlete who was selected by the Ottawa RedBlacks in last summer’s CFL draft.

LEAGUE CHANGES

The NLL probably wouldn’t say it so we will: Eight teams making the playoffs in a nine-team league was rather silly.

And while a six-team playoff format isn’t that much better, at least the season itself has more meaning even if a team or two has nothing to play for on the final weekend of the season.

That’s one of a number of changes the NLL has in store for the 2014 season, many of which were hashed out as part of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement which ensures labour peace in the league for the rest of the decade.

The league will now play an 18-game schedule, up from 16. The Minnesota Swarm are switching from the Western to the Eastern Division. And the Stealth franchise, that started life in San Jose, then moved up the coast to Everett, Wash., for a few seasons, now settles into its new home in Langley, B.C., as the Vancouver franchise.

The size of each franchise has also been reduced from 23 men to 20, with four additional players on the practice roster.

But it’s the road to the championship that underwent the biggest repair. The top three teams in each division make the post-season. The crossover rule has been eliminated. The third-place team will travel to the second-place team in a one-game division semifinal.

The winner then begins a two-game home-and-home division final series. If the teams split the two games, a 10-minute mini-game will decide the series. The league championship will also be decided in the same fashion.